PRG Mbox Designer Manual 3.9 - Manual (Page 26)

18 MBOX ® MEDIA SERVER USER MANUAL
Pixel Mapping Output Level
The Pixel Mapping Output Level parameter masters the overall brightness levels of all pixel mapping output - all
fixtures, all contexts, and all protocols. This control is able to dim the pixel mapping output in cases where dimming
the video output would be undesirable. (The pixel mapping group controls are available for use in dimming groups of
fixtures - or even individual fixtures - when dimming all fixtures is not appropriate.)
Unlike prior versions of the Mbox software, with Mbox v3.9 the Master Control Channel is used to enable/disable the
overall output of the pixel mapping output signal - all protocols - and to force all "masked" fixtures to an output level
of zero, thereby allowing an HTP merge with CMY fixtures.
Refer to the Mbox Remote User manual for more information about the Pixel Mapping feature.
Decay
The Decay parameter adds variable decay trails behind on-screen imagery that moves, scales, or rotates in front of
the infinite black background. Images that overlap in the composited view (e.g., 3D objects one in front of the other)
will not show decay where they overlap unless the opacity of the underlying objects is somewhat reduced.
Shutter Damping
The Shutter Damping parameter adds smoothing to the movement of the shutter blades of the Shutter fixture.
Because the shutters use 8-bit controls, it may be hard to create smooth shutter motion with external timing. The
Shutter Damping works like the timing channel on a moving light to allow the shutters to move themselves more
smoothly over a preset amount of time. This control works in 1/30 sec increments, adding the resulting time to any
console timing for all shutter movement.
Shutter Fixture
The Mbox software includes shutters, much like a Leko, which can be used to mask off areas of the final composited
output image. The shutters can be thought of as sitting between that composited image and the virtual camera that
provides the view of the image. The shutters do not only affect one layer or a group of layers, they affect the overall
final image.
Note: Mbox Designer’s Panoramic Dual and Dual Independent modes both have two (2) Shutter fixtures.
Shutter Shape (Mode)
The shutters have four different shapes, with each shape using the eight primary adjustment parameters (1a - 4b)
differently.
+ Moving Light - In this mode each pair of adjustment parameters controls the X or Y position of one of two ends of
a linear shutter "blade." This is most like the shutters in a modern automated lighting fixture. The parameters
affect how far towards the opposite side of the screen the corresponding end of the shutter blade is pushed. By
adjusting both controls by the same amount, the shutter can be placed parallel to the edge of the screen.
+ Leko - In this mode each pair of adjustment parameters control the insertion amount and angle of one linear
shutter. This is most like shutters in a conventional theatrical fixture. The first control pushes the shutter inwards,
and the second control allows the shutter to be angled in one direction or the other.
+ Iris - In this mode the adjustment parameters are not used and the shutters make a perfect circle whose size is
adjusted using the Shutter fixture’s scale parameter.
+ Blob - In this mode the adjustment parameters work as in the Leko mode, however, rather than a linear shutter
blade, curved blades are created thus allowing for oval shapes. To create the shape of the curved blades, a
Bezier curve is drawn between the center points of two adjacent blades.
Note: The default value for the Shutter Shape parameter is 0, which turns the shutters off. This parameter must be set
to one of the four shapes for the shutters to work.